Vietnamese Newspaper (Dân mới)
During this historical period, the linguistic and typographic landscape of Vietnam experienced a transition towards Roman script under Western influence, notably from the French who held significant influence in the region. Before the romanization of Quốc Ngữ, chữ Nôm, an ideographic version of Vietnamese reserved for the elite, presented a challenging study requiring years for proficiency. The subsequent introduction of the Latin-based script proved to be a direct and accessible alternative, allowing the Vietnamese to attain reading and writing skills in a matter of weeks. Despite its instrumental role in advancing literacy, Quốc Ngữ wasn't formally established as the writing system until the early 20th century during the French colonial era.
Following colonization, the French contributed to the development of Vietnamese typography by introducing Roman typefaces. The early adoption of sans-serif and serif fonts had versatile applications, extending beyond formal contexts to include street signage. Roman serif-based typefaces gained popularity in formal texts and newspapers for their capacity to incorporate additional accents and symbols. Additionally, the introduction of the printing press by the French played a pivotal role in promoting liberation and literacy among the Vietnamese populace, igniting a printing craze that became integral to the culture and a source of national pride.
In contrast to the ornate typefaces and systematic layouts prevalent in many publications of that era, Vietnamese publications embraced bold, italics, and uppercase letters for emphasis. The flexibility in font size and column arrangements contributed to cost-effectiveness and enhanced readability. While some similarities existed between English and American newspapers, Vietnamese newspapers stood out with a greater emphasis on condensed information, creating a distinct characteristic in the Western context. In addition, white space in Western newspapers is far less prevalent than in newspapers in Vietnam. In multiple publications from different companies, they all do some small amount of experimentation of type, but it is somewhat less controlling than the West, too.
